Cloudy Sake
by 1001 Kisses
Summary: At the top floor of the South campus, at the end of the North corridor, she found her escape. Mori/OC
1. Chapter 1

Hello! :) Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I do own all the original characters. Simple, ne?

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**Chapter 1**

4:26.

She should have been there twenty minutes ago.

She always did this to him. She would leave him waiting all alone at a table for her. Had they been just friends he most likely would have just gotten up and left, but this case was different. He wasn't about to get up and leave when his girlfriend was about to arrive. She wasn't just another person. Instead, he would ask the waitress for a few more moments and look at the menu to pass the time. Its fine, he would think, she'll get here eventually and everything will be fine. Soon enough, she would come running up with an apology and the date would go on smoothly.

However, this date was different from others. This time around, he considered getting up and walking out the door before she had even arrived.

"Welcome!" The waitress greeted brightly. "Would you like me to get you something to drink?"

"Um… Can I get a green tea?" The boy inquired as he ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair. Usually he waited for his girlfriend before ordering but today he didn't think anything of it.

"Sure! I'll be back." The waitress winked at him before scurrying away to talk to another customer. Things continued to be different from the usual café date. Although she had left the table, the boy's eyes hadn't left her. It took a few moments for him to realize that this particular waitress had previously served him and his girlfriend on several occasions. He also realized what slender legs she had.

"Ryuichi…" a feminine voice rang out to him, snapping him out of his musing. He whipped his head to the side only to meet the steady gaze of his petite girlfriend. He noted a slight stir of clouded emotions in her grey eyes which caused the blood to drain from Ryuichi's face. _She noticed…_ The thought caused his heart to race and his thoughts to scramble for someway to distract her.

"You look nice today." He blurted out. It was only after he had said it that he realized she pretty much looked the same. It was the usual black shirt, cargo pants, and her copper hair pulled up into a bun. She always wore clothes that swallowed her figure, unlike their waitress, whose dress showed off every curve. Regardless of how she looked, he was willing to say anything to save himself. "I guess you took some extra time getting ready?"

She blinked as a blush crept across her cheeks. "Not really," she replied, taking a seat across from him. "It just took a little while for me to leave the house."

"Talking with your dad?"

"Kind of," Asahi bit her lower lip as she began flipping through the desert booklet at their table. "I wanted to attend a business meeting with him today but I never got a chance to ask him."

Ryuichi straightened his posture and raised a dubious eyebrow. "You never got the chance or you just didn't have the courage?"

Asahi didn't respond and continued browsing the desert menu but her darkened expression didn't go unnoticed.

"Here's your green tea, sir!" The bubbly waitress announced as she sat a steaming mug in front of Ryuichi.

"Thanks," he said as he turned and flashed a charming smile at the raven-haired woman. The waitress paused as she momentarily locked eyes with the handsome young man. Flushing lightly, she let out an airy giggle, completely oblivious to the searing glare from the across the table.

Asahi slammed the desert menu harshly on the tabletop, successfully regaining the attention of her supposed boyfriend and the airheaded waitress. "I'm ready to order." She said flatly, pushing the booklet away from her.

"Y-yes," the waitress stuttered as she turned towards Asahi with a nervous smile. "What will it be?"

"Yellow cake with chocolate, strawberries, and whipped cream."

"Yes, right away ma'am!" The waitress cried over her shoulder as she scuttled back to the kitchen.

Ryuichi leaned back in his chair and sighed. This date was starting to be bothersome for him. "That was rather rude, Asahi."

"Well, I wasn't going to sit by and watch her flirt with you." Asahi replied in her defense. Although, she did feel a tad ashamed that Ryuichi didn't approve of her outburst. "I know this place is really small and quiet but I thought we were going out to dinner later tonight."

Ryuichi furrowed his eyebrows, "There would be too many people."

Asahi raised her eyebrows in thought, "Well, I guess you would want a more secluded place to celebrate our four months together."

Ryuichi's heart started to pick up speed again. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Asahi's heart followed suit. Something wasn't right. "… Sure," she said carefully, "about what, exactly?"

He swallowed in an effort to moisten his dry throat. This was it. He summoned all the courage in his body to spill what had been on mind for the past week, "I think we should break up."

Asahi's heart skipped a beat but had no intention of slowing down. A cold sweat ran down her temple as a storm of thoughts swirled through her head. He wasn't really about to throw four months out the window, was he? She sat in a daze for a few moments before realization hit her like ice water. Those nights when he wouldn't pick up her goodnight phone call, how he stopped holding her hand in public places, his excuses on how he didn't have time to meet up with her for lunch. Although she denied it in the past, it was abundantly clear to her now. He didn't want to be with her anymore. However, it didn't ease the sting his words inflicted as they lift his mouth.

"Here's you're cake!" The waitress popped up out of no where, startling Ryuichi as she set a cutely decorated cake in front of a shaken Asahi. "Is there anything else I can get you two?"

"No, thank you." Asahi answered dully; an obvious frown etched into her face as picked up her fork and starting picking at her cake. _Eat it, _her mind told her. _It'll make you feel better._ But Asahi just couldn't bring herself to do it. "You can bring the check, I guess."

"O-okay…" The waitress sputtered uncertainly before cautiously heading back into the kitchen. The airhead seemed to finally realize she was treading on some dangerous waters.

All the cheerfulness was gone from the table and instead replaced with seething bitterness. Asahi was obviously still fuming about the break up, but now Ryuichi was in a bad mood for having to pay for her coping method.

Asahi felt the first step of a break up, denial, kick in. Maybe, she thought, she could save the two of them. "You don't want to talk this out?"

"I'd rather not."

"When did you start feeling this way?"

"It's been slowly downhill for a few weeks now." Ryuichi answered and centered his attention out the window. This was the part he was dreading: the interrogation. "I'm only 18, you know? My feelings are changing."

"Changing?" Asahi spat out in disbelief. "So you don't like me anymore?"

"Of course, I still like you."

"Then why would you want to break up?" It was getting harder and harder for her to keep her voice rising. "If two people like each other shouldn't they stay together?"

"No, I like you but it's… Ach," He ran a hand down his face in frustration. He couldn't think of anything to say that would get him out of the hole he had dug himself into. Taking a deep calming breath, he leaned back into his chair, "It's different now."

There was a dead pause. Asahi had a creeping suspicion of what he meant.

"You don't love me anymore?" Asahi's voice cracked but Ryuichi didn't dare turn to see if she was crying.

He took a moment to consider his words. Did he want to come to terms with the truth or keep her feelings from hurting even more?

He exhaled softly, "No."

Many hurtful things had been said to her during the course of their relationship, but this, in Asahi's opinion, was the worst. There was so much meaning behind his simple "No" that she couldn't help but be shaken by it. She had finally found her fairytale just like the ones her mother used to read to her every night. She finally understood why people longed for the feelings she had felt.

To love and be loved was the most intense sensation she had ever experienced in her seventeen years on Earth. For the four months they were together, she had felt a sort of warmth within her that wasn't there before. It coursed through her body and tickled the pit of her stomach, leaving a feeling of mirth. Even though an emotion so alien to her made her uneasy, Asahi couldn't stop from immersing herself in its glow. She was content, cradled with the thoughts of love and happy-endings. Only now, the one who had sparked the warmth decided to douse it with a bucket of cold harsh reality.

Her expression hardened, "I see."

Ryuichi's posture perked up and he turned to Asahi with a surprised look, "So, we're okay?"

He didn't get a response; only a face full of yellow cake and strawberries.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, I got sidetracked like you wouldn't believe... I actually had a hard time writing the last couple paragraphs since I sort of lost my 'writing zone' towards the end. Oh well, I hope you enjoy regardless. :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I do own all the original characters. Simple, ne?

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**Chapter 2**

Alone in the waiting room, a young man sat hunched over in his chair leaning his elbows on his knees. He couldn't have been a day over thirty; however, the five o' clock shadow growing along his jaw line did make him appear significantly older. In fact, he couldn't have been more thankful that no one was currently around to see his unprofessional attire. It would have done severe damage to his reputation for anyone to see a man of his status with a crinkled shirt, unshaven, and without a shower.

He felt just about the same way that he looked. A nervous sweat rolled down the back of his neck as he covered his face with trembling hands. So many thoughts were pounded in his head that the man could feel a migraine coming on. Although, any pain he was feeling was probably nothing compared to the pain his wife was experiencing at the moment.

The man's head snapped up upon hearing a door open and the soft cry of a newborn baby. The fluorescent lights of the waiting room were dim compared to the bright light shining in from the doorway and his jaw dropped as he saw the silhouette of a female nurse against the glow. A new strange emotion swelled up within the new father as he stood and watched the nurse approach him with a bundle of soft yellow linen carefully cradled in her arms.

"Mr. Haruhiko Okura?" The nurse asked with a small genuine smile. Moments like this were the reason why she became a nurse.

Haruhiko's eyes traveled from the nurse to the yellow blanket. This was it. The nine months he had been waiting for. He swallowed, "Yes, that's me."

Her smile grew as she delicately extended her arms and carefully transferred the newborn over to its new father. The sparkle she saw in his eyes as he looked upon his baby's face sparked a sort of radiance within her that brightened the rest of her day. Boy, she loved being a nurse. She turned on her heel and, having found a new spring to her step, strode over to the door. Grabbing the door handle, she looked over her shoulder to say one last thing, "It's a girl. Congratulations, sir."

She faced back into the light just as the baby's cry started up again and echoed throughout the gloomy waiting room. As she closed the door behind her, she failed to notice Haruhiko's smile fall into a concerned frown.

Even though dream faded into reality, the cries of a newborn didn't stop. Asahi's mind told her to open her eyes and investigate but the memory foam of her queen sized bed told her otherwise. _Forget about it,_ her goose-feathered pillow whispered into her ear. _The maids will take care of it._

"Asahi-sama," a frail voice called followed by a knock from the other side of the bedroom door. "I must ask for your assistance!"

Asahi's eyes finally opened, forming a frustrated squint as she pushed herself up off her stomach and rolled off her bed. As she padded across her room, the screeching continued to grow insistently louder until she finally reached her door. Undoing the lock, she yanked the door open and glared through the darkness at the face of her personal maid.

"What is it, Kanon?" Asahi asked groggily as she rubbed one of her eyes to remoisten her contact. "I don't have to be up for another two hours."

"I'm terribly sorry, Asahi-sama, but," the maid held out her arms, bringing attention to the crying infant. "I cannot get Yoshiki-sama to stop crying. Perhaps you can help?"

Asahi frowned and shifted her weight, "Can't my mother to do it?"

If it weren't for the darkness, Asahi would have seen a blush creep across Kanon's cheeks. "Um… It was her and the Master's anniversary today so…"

Asahi didn't need to hear anymore. "Does it have to be me?"

"Yoshiki-sama does seem to have a special liking towards Asahi-sama." Kanon stated in a sing-song voice as she lightly bounced the baby in her arms, in hopes to subdue his wails.

Asahi listened to the baby boy gasp for air before unleashing an even louder scream before angrily sighing and holding out her arms. "Give him to me."

She felt a load being dropped into her arms and the heard sound of Kanon's footsteps until they disappeared down the hallway. Closing the door, she turned to the crying child in her possession, "Hey, don't cry anymore, okay?"

Yoshiki slowly quieted down at the increasingly familiar voice of his sister's voice until the only noise he made was the occasional sniffling. Asahi settled herself in her favorite pink lounge chair and flicked on the tableside lamp to shine some light on the two siblings. A comfortable silence floated between the two as they gazed at one another, taking in each other's similar features. Asahi could tell he took mostly after their father with his dark hair but he had their mother's warm brown eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed at her younger brother as she began thinking of his future and how he would one day take what she so desperately wanted.

_If only you weren't born…_ She thought longingly as she watched him close his eyes and drift off to sleep.

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"That's all for today's lesson!" The middle-aged teacher announced just as the class bell rang, signaling that the school day had finally ended. Although, at Ouran Private Academy, class bell meant the clock tower at the center of the campus that sounded church bells at the appropriate hour. It was one of the many quirks that Asahi loved about her school.

She also was most excited about her new window seat in the back of the classroom. Now on days when she was having trouble paying attention, like today for instance, she would be able to gaze out the window without any worries. Not to mention one of her best friends occupied the seat in front of her.

"Hey Asahi, our indoor pool is finally finished. Want to come over and test it out?" Her raven-haired friend asked shortly after the bell.

"Sorry, Miho, I was going to go home and study." Asahi smiled apologetically, hoping she would just accept her excuse and go on her merry way.

However, Miho Miyagi was as sharp as a tack and saw right through Asahi's smile. Miho grimaced and leaned back against the window. "You've been saying that all week."

Asahi shrugged, "I'm just not feeling up to it is all."

"You've been like this all week though. Just because you're single now doesn't mean you can't have fun. You need to stop isolating yourself or you'll never get over the break up."

Asahi pursed her lips and her eyebrows furrowed as she began putting her books away. She knew her friend had good intentions but she was started to get annoyed by Miho's motivational attitude. She didn't want to be reminded of her new independence. "Can we stop talking about it?"

"That's the problem." Miho stated as she turned in her chair to give Asahi her full attention. "You never want to talk about it. Normally high school girls would immediately turn to their friends but I didn't find out that you two broke up until two days after when I asked Ryuichi how you two spent your four month celebration together. You've been single for over a week, Asahi; we need to get you back on your feet."

Asahi just sat back and listened to Miho rant on her wellbeing with a slight frown on her face. She had her ways of dealing with the break up and she didn't want anyone to interfere. Listening to Miho talk about her failed relationship made feelings resurface that she had almost forgotten about until then.

"Is everything alright?" A gentle voice rang out, interrupting Miho's tangent to Asahi's relief.

"No, Sayuri, I can't get Asahi to do anything other than sit in her room and eat cake all day." Miho sighed as she turned to the beautiful blond girl standing over the two bickering classmates.

"Hey!" Asahi shot back, "I don't eat cake all day."

"Oh!" Sayuri cried as clapped her hands together and turned to Asahi. "This is about getting you out to meet other guys, right?"

"I don't need to meet-"

"Actually, that's not a bad idea." Miho said as she thoughtfully brought a hand to her chin.

_Oh no…_ Asahi thought as her grey eyes darted between her two friends. They had all been together since their first year when they all were in class 1A. Now being seniors, they had known each other long enough to somewhat know the inner workings of each others minds. With the combination of Sayuri's excited smile and the mischievous look in Miho's blue eyes, the answer slowly formulated within Asahi's mind. "You aren't going to-"

"She's all yours, Sayuri." Miho waved over her shoulder as she headed to the classroom door.

"Wait!" Asahi called as she stretched a hand out after Miho only for it to be grabbed by an eager Sayuri.

"Come on, Asahi!" Sayuri squealed as she pulled Asahi to her feet. "The doors to the Host Club open soon!"

She happily dragged a reluctant Asahi out the classroom and down the wide, refined corridors to the outside lawn. Once out in the warm sunlight, Sayuri released Asahi and they continued walking side by side down a polished cobblestone walkway. For mid-March, the weather was rather pleasant with the birds returning from the south and miniature green buds forming on nearby trees. Asahi guessed it had something to do with Ouran Academy's rich atmosphere. Ouran accepted nothing but the best; weather included.

"Where exactly are we going?" Asahi asked as their brown shoes clicked across the stone walkway to seemingly nowhere.

Sayuri gestured to a smaller building in front of them. "At the top of the South campus, at the end of the North corridor, the Host Club holds their activities in the third Music Room." She explained as she approached the front doors and held them open for her and Asahi. She then continued talking as they ascended a grand marble staircase, "There are seven members and they simply spend their time accompanying the female students. I first found out about this place near the end of our second year and have been coming back here ever since."

"That was four months ago, right?" Asahi asked after thinking through the months and days.

"Yeah," Sayuri responded as they stepped off the staircase and headed down another extravagant hallway.

Asahi frowned lightly as the two continued in a comfortable silence. _That was when you were the only single one…_ She thought and turned to take a quick look over Sayuri's delicate features. Her golden hair, despite being bleached, cascaded softly down to the small of her back and complimented her sunny school uniform. She had a smile that could brighten the darkest of days and light brown eyes full of spark and spirit. Asahi would never understand why Sayuri remained single and could only imagine the loneliness she had felt at the time. When you hear stories of the handsome, popular guy falling for the plain, wallflower, this was the side of the story most didn't see; the beautiful, pure girls not getting their chance at love.

"We're here!" Sayuri announced as they approached a pair of lavish oak double doors. Grabbing the gilt doorknob, Sayuri effortlessly opened one of the doors and gestured for Asahi to enter first.

Asahi remained rooted to the spot however. All the new swirling thoughts of relationships and singlehood couldn't help but put her in a downer mood. She was starting to become keener to her original plan of going home to comfort herself with a German chocolate cake and Disney movies until she forgot that fairytales don't exist. However, just as she was about to turn to Sayuri and excuse herself, something rushed past the doorway, catching Asahi's slate-colored eye.

Sayuri blinked, "Asahi?" she muttered as she watched Asahi tread into the club room with a sudden ravenous look in her dull eyes.

Stepping further into the room, Asahi's head whipped around until she found what she witnessed in the doorway; the most alluring piece of strawberry shortcake she had ever laid eyes on. A single juicy strawberry was nestled into the fluffy icing that was expertly spread onto rich vanilla cake. This won over the German chocolate cake, hands down, in Asahi's opinion. Asahi's only downfall was the fact that the heavenly cake was already in the hands of a petite blond boy.

Asahi's shoulder slumped when she tore her eyes away from the baked good long enough to get a fair look at the little boy. His smiling features and short stature were too cute for Asahi to even think about taking his cake from him. He had a slight familiarity to him but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Asahi ultimately sighed in defeat as she watched the boy skip to a table, plop down with his dish, and take a big delightful bite.

"Is something wrong, Princess?" A soothing voice broke her out of her thoughts.

Asahi turned to find the source of the voice only to find a rather tall boy standing a little too close for comfort. His platinum blond hair framed his elegant face and the soft look in his violet eyes gave Asahi a sense of comfort and security. She guessed it was the same look he gave all his customers.

"No, not really," Asahi muttered as her eyes skimmed over the groups of giggling school girls but failed to find any spare cake for her to have. She did notice a few guys strategically placed throughout the room but every one was surrounded by a cluster of girls. Asahi couldn't help but wonder how they felt sharing a guy amongst their pack. "I'm assuming this is the Host Club."

"That you are correct, Princess." The boy nodded lightly with a warm smile.

"Oh, you can just call me Asahi." She cut in quickly, feeling a little strange that he was treating her so fondly without even knowing her name.

What happened next caught Asahi completely off guard. Scooping her hands up into his, the blond teenager lowered his kind eyes to meet hers. "It is a pleasure to meet a beauty, such as yourself." The blond teenager cooed and gazed longingly into her steel eyes. He waited for the blush to crawl across her cheeks and the look of infatuation upon her face but neither of them appeared.

Instead, all emotion was wiped free from her face as she slowly pulled her hands out of his. Asahi did look more feminine than usual with her russet hair hanging down to her mid-back and her lemon school uniform but she wouldn't go as far as to say beautiful. She began to feel as if she was being lured into a trap with his gentle and affectionate mannerisms. "Uh… Who are you?" She asked with a hint of uncertainty.

"I am **the** Host King, Suoh Tamaki." His expression lightened as he turned away from her and, while putting a gentle arm around her shoulder, dramatically gestured to the liveliness of the room. "You see, here at the Host Club, we offer seven types-"

And that was where Asahi stopped listening and just surveyed the chaos around her. Since obviously the main customers were girls, Asahi could easily pick out the male hosts from within the crowd. There was obviously the character standing by her, who continuously talked while making wild yet fluid movements with his arms. She spotted a rather composed fellow with dark hair glasses chatting quietly with Sayuri over tea. _So that's where she's been…_ Asahi thought darkly and watched her friend chuckle lightly while she was stuck with the nonsensical prince. A loud squeal from the center of the room startled Asahi, shaking the negative thoughts from her mind. She whipped her head around to find a pair of redheaded twins with their faces merely inches apart while entwined in each others arms. Asahi winced at the sight, as to why they would do that in public, she would never know. The next table over looked a bit more relaxed with a brunette host having a light conversation with two girls. Asahi perked up a bit upon seeing his smile and immediately knew she wanted him to be her Host. _He looks like the most normal out of everyone, _she thought as she left Tamaki mid-sentence to make her way over to their table.

Asahi didn't even take more than five steps before she stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened slightly as she noticed a tall dark Host coming in her direction. Well, she didn't necessarily notice the stoic character himself but rather what he held in his right hand; a thick slice of Japanese-style cheesecake topped with various succulent fruits and a dollop of whipped cream. As Asahi watched the lean Host pass by her with the dessert, she felt her craving for cake growing rapidly and before she knew it, she found herself following after him.

His legs were quite long, Asahi noted. For every step he took, she had to take twice as many with double the effort. The sound of her irregular footsteps must have caught his attention for the boy stopped short and turned to look down at her with grey eyes similar to her own.

Asahi could feel her shoulders tense up from his intimidating aura but she couldn't let that stop her from getting what she wanted. "I'm just here for some cake." She stated with a slight shrug. "I was thinking that you were headed where I could find some."

He responded with a single nod, his stone expression never changing as he pivoted back around and continued traveling across the vast music room. Where exactly, Asahi didn't know but she tagged along behind him anyway. Before long, the two reached an artistically carved door on the far right wall that Asahi failed to notice upon examining the room.

She turned her head up at the Host, "In here?"

Once again, a nod was all that she received. Asahi didn't mind though, she didn't feel like talking much at the moment either. She turned back to the door and pulled harshly on the polished handle, opening the heavy oak entry to reveal a vastly dark room.

Asahi's expression fell and her shoulders slumped lightly as she stepped into the shady room. It was certainly not cake. _This is stupid… _She thought sourly. _What am I even doing here?_

At that exact moment, before she could even turn around, the boy flicked on the lights, filling the room with light and color. Asahi instantly felt ashamed for her negative attitude as her eyes skimmed across the wide array of enticing cakes that lined the walls. In the end she had received what she wanted but she was letting her emotions get the best of her again. _Learn to be rational,_ she scolded herself and turned to her helper, who was waiting patiently for her to choose a slice from the various plates set up around the room. Asahi scooped up a plate of tiramisu and casually tossed a "thank you" over her shoulder as she passed the Host on her way out.

She still didn't understand exactly how the Host club worked but at least she knew who her 'go-to' man was to get her sugar fix.


End file.
